All Across Africa: Guinea

Wild safaris, bushwhacking treks, cultural close encounters—the new trend on the ancient continent is Africa as it was.

Text by Costas Christ

Photograph by Christopher LaMarca/Redux

3. Guinea

Raft off the Map

Nagged by the notion that everyone else got there first? Pining for the old days of bushwhacking adventure? Get to Guinea. This West African country with unmapped rain forests, waterfall-rich mountains only partially explored, and villagers who have never heard of tourism had been closed to travelers for decades. Off-the-radar is an understatement here, which is why Mountain Travel Sobek—the outfitter known for exploratory trips—is marking its 40th anniversary with a 15-day Guinea expedition. It begins with a float down the Niger River from Mali, and once across the border, voyagers can expect an audience with a Bissandougou tribal chief, bone-jarring 4x4 action across Fulani territory and the Fouta Djalon plateau, and an ocean passage finale to the Bijagós islands of neighboring Guinea-Bissau, where villages are built along white-sand beaches ($4,395 per person; offered February 11-25, March 15-29, and December 5-19, 2009; mtsobek.com).